It is always encouraging to me to see the next generation of fishermen take to the sport of bass fishing. This week on ‘The Catch‘ I wanted to throw it to the youth of the sport and showcase one of our teams in West Virginia that has represented on a national stage. And obviously, we have the likes of Bo Hollen and Ari Clark or Luke Stewart and Austin Craze who need no introduction and have had tremendous results on the national level, but I wanted to catch up with a few youngsters that have flown under the radar.
Karson and Kipton Dick are two boys that are showing promise to be the next big thing for youth fishing in West Virginia. The duo is from Wayne, West Virginia, and compete for the Wayne Fishing Team. Karson is an 8th grader and Kipton is a 7th grader whom are both homeschooled but have a strong love and passion for fishing.
Karson found his love for fishing on a trip to Lake Erie with his grandfather and that is when the switch turned. Hooking and reeling into a big northern strain smallmouth was all it took for him to be obsessed with the sport.
“From that point, it changed everything and I was obsessed,” said Karson.
But it was early on that Karson found a love for tournament fishing through fishing local weekend derbies with his father Kevin.
“Karson started fishing tournaments with me as a youngster,” Kevin said. “We fished a lot of Saturday morning tournaments over on Beech Fork and that is where Karson got his start.”
When Karson entered the 6th grade, he was then eligible to fish for the Wayne Bass Team and that is when the tournament bug grew a little stronger. He would fish with partner Branson Day for a year before younger brother Kipton was old enough to fish and that is when the brothers came together to begin their tournament run.
It didn’t take long and the duo qualified for their first-ever Bassmaster Junior National Championship this year by finishing fourth place in the Team of the Year standings in the BASS Nation of West Virginia junior division. The third-place team dropped and so that opened a spot for Kipton and Karson to go to the National Championship on Carroll County 1000 acre recreational lake.
“It means a lot to us that we made it to go to Nationals. We were thrilled,” said Kipton. “The trip was unbelievable.”
The duo would finish up in an impressive 13th place in the National Championship with a two-day total weight of 13-5. But qualifying for the National Championship only has them hungrier to get back in 2023.
“Our main goal is just to get back to the National Championship,” said Karson. “We also want to fish with as many different people as possible to learn more techniques and different bodies of water. We are always looking to learn and further our abilities on the water.”
But as much as they want to accomplish their goals, Kevin (father) is already beyond proud of what these two youngsters have already accomplished and pushes them towards working hard and accomplishing bigger and better things. He says he thanks those who have supported them on their journeys, but more importantly he wants the boys to follow their hearts, conduct themselves as good Christian young men and always remember how they got to the places where they are now.
“It is very encouraging as well that people like Chris and Ethan Allen as well as Dillon May and Bailey McKinney spend time to talk to not only Karson and Kipton but also to the other young anglers,” said Kevin. “It gives them a sense of what to strive for in the future and it is nice to see the kids interacting with the older high schoolers and college kids.”
I am always intrigued by the youth of what their favorite lure or technique is, so I think anytime I get some real youngsters I will probably continue to ask this simple question. What is your favorite lure or technique?
“I love fishing a texas rig for largemouth,” said Kipton. “But my favorite for smallmouth fishing is definitely a Ned rig or a drop shot.”
“For largemouth, I like to throw a spinnerbait,” noted Karson. “There isn’t anything better than a swimbait for smallmouth.”
In their spare time, the boys enjoy making their own baits such as Ned rigs, swimbaits, jigheads, spinnerbaits, and crappie jig heads. They also have their own YouTube channel called ‘Them Wayne Boys‘ and they encourage everyone to follow along on their adventures.
